Cyber deceptive practices or SIM swap fraud is the perpetrator’s act of deliberate actions in order to achieve access to your personal information. And keeping the safety and security of your personal data is your top priority.

Zoiko Mobile takes accountability for invaluable security practices with strong safeguarding measures to protect customers. Mobile connectivity shapes every aspect of our lives, where we live. However, the threat of SIM swap fraud is very common. This could give cybercriminals an entryway into your digital assets.

Zoiko Mobile keeps you vigilant and adapts quickly to provide emerging shields against fraudsters and cyber criminals. “SIM swap” fraud (also called port-scam, SIM splitting, SIM-jacking, and SIM swapping) generally targets victims’ mobile phones and transfers data to another SIM number.

SIM swap fraud occurs when a malicious actor ensures your carrier and transfers your phone number to a new SIM card through their process and, thereafter, takes over access to your phone.

Therefore, taking steps to shield yourself from such SIM swap fraud is essential. We’re here to help you identify potential SIM swap scams and stay secure, and share a series of steps focused on SIM swap fraud protection.

The number of registered SIM swap fraud cases in the UK has climbed over 1,000%:

Cybercriminals do their commonly use tactics to exploit by gaining confidence in victims to share two-factor authentication and hack their mobile and other devices – among such cases, mobile users must be vigilant to protect their data and other digital assets.

According to the National Fraud Database, the rate of SIM swap fraud has grown by 1,055%. This has reached roughly 3,000 incidents in 2024, up from 289 cases in 2023.

When fraudsters conduct a SIM swap, they start intercepting texts and calls, including essential security elements like two-factor authentication.

This tactic is a commonly used method to attempt fraud, where cybercriminals take control of victims’ accounts to deceive their victims.

Cifas – the UK’s dedicated online criminal crackdown organisation behind the National Fraud Database – has noted a 76% surge in takeover fraud. Especially, older consumers are often the primary targets, with the retail and telecom sectors being especially susceptible.

Mostly, scammers gain access to a customer’s personal information and share links to their phone numbers, such as one-time access codes for online accounts sent via text or call. 

How does SIM swap fraud occur?

A SIM swap attack occurs when cybercriminals deceive a victim’s mobile carrier by transferring their phone number to a new SIM card, and once after, the hacker takes everything into their control.

They have access to everything about your personal data, especially access to your emails, banking accessed via your phones, credit card/debit card details, access to your mobile payment apps, and so on. They could hack everything and steal money through these substantial attacks. Once in control of the victim’s phone, cybercriminals can access emails, reset logins, and inflict terrible damage.

Simon Miller, Director of Policy, UK, London, and one representative at Cifas, expressed their grave concern over the big surge in mobile account identity takeover fraud, and has rolled over actionable tips for the critical role mobile use and the rising vulnerabilities in our lives. Criminals mainly crack system weaknesses to manipulate individuals’ mobile identities, wreaking havoc.

There are apprehensions that the introduction of eSIM technology, eliminating the need for physical SIM cards that do not need biometrics activation and are so easy to steal data, could make SIM swap fraud easier to conduct.

The Danger of SIM Swap Fraud!

A fraudster will impersonate a Zoiko Mobile representative who calls vulnerable customers and cunningly urges them to share sensitive data. If this breach is not addressed quickly, it can lead to a series of SIM swap scams, financial fraud, and even identity theft.

Recently, Bleeping Computer showed an unimaginable nightmare where hackers infiltrated the networks of well-established brands like Co-op and M&S by pretending to be employees. They deceived the IT helpdesk staff into asking for simple password reset duties, through this phishing attack, these fraudsters manipulated the service desk and had unauthorised access to the company’s crucial systems.

Follow our practical tips to stay safe during your SIM swap process!

 1..Don’t share Your Personal Data: Avoid sharing necessary details such as bank account information or passwords, and credit card/debit card numbers. Keep cautious and ignore random requests or don’t click any phishing links without cross-checking of source, and no SIM network carriers asking for such secret information.

2..Set a Unique PIN or Password: Take proactive steps by requesting your SIM network provider to set up a unique PIN or password for your account. This additional layer of security is vital for supporting any SIM account modifications.

3..Be Cautious on Social Media: Be mindful of the information you share online, including your phone number, birth date, bank account number, PIN number, etc, or don’t give answers to any standard security questions.

4..Keep track of your accounts: Stay vigilant by routinely checking your bank statements, bank debit activities, and credit reports for any suspicious or unauthorised transactions. Set up alerts on your mobile to get notifications if any significant changes within your account happen.

5..Implement Biometrics: Enhance the security of your account by setting up biometrics through the ‘My Security Profile’ section on the Mobile App.

How to know any signs of SIM swapping and take immediate action to secure your account?

1..Sudden Loss of Network: If your phone abruptly loses its network, it means a suspicious transfer occurred of your number to a different SIM card.

2..Might Get Notifications If Any Suspicious Activity Happens: Be careful if you get notifications of unauthorised log-in or unrecognised SIM activation notifications. It means it could be an act of fraudulent attempts to take control of your number.

3..Sudden Loss of Access to Accounts: If you fail to access your email, bank, or social media accounts, it may mean a security breach.

4..Unknown Currency Transactions: Any unrecognised transaction activities or bank payments on your account should raise concerns regarding likely suspicious unauthorised access, or serious security breaches. 

How does Zoiko Mobile protect its customers against SIM swap fraud?

Zoiko Mobile has taken bold measures to protect its customers from SIM swap scams by providing ample training to its frontline customer care teams. Our robust client-facing CS service keeps your purchase of mobile top up plans UK, SIM activation, upgrades your mobile recharge plans UK and SIM swaps process (including eSIM) secure and seamless, so you can enjoy the best digital customer experiences on your journey to secure online mobile recharge UK.

In the case of a SIM swap proposal, one of our senior team members steps up to authorise it, and customers will directly get a validated notification request from our end. Moreover, the Zoiko Mobile CS task force is a dedicated fraud monitoring team to offset the challenging ecosystem against any fraud tactics and patterns used by scammers.

While we mostly say that Zoiko Mobile customers are not at a higher risk of falling victim to SIM swap fraud. However, due to rising fraud incidents happening in the UK, your awareness, early knowledge, and caution are important to protect against the likelihood of threats.

Zoiko Mobile has stepped up its security protocols to make it more challenging for fraudsters to commit SIM swap fraud successfully.

Being vigilant against suspicious messages, calls, web links, and easy attempts by malicious actors or anything, report every incident to us. Zoiko Mobile users must read the above-mentioned security protocols to protect themselves from the perils of SIM swap fraud.

Have your safe mobile use with Zoiko Mobile – we keep protecting your SIM account and your Pay-as-you-go, prepaid, and postpaid number.